Will the Russians Retaliate for Spy Arrests?

Will the Russians Retaliate for Spy Arrests?

The roundup of a group of Americans suspected of spying for Russia has puzzled many in Washington and Moscow. Diplomats tell The Daily Beast's Philip Shenon they're worried about the fallout for other intel investigations. A senior European diplomat based in Washington, for instance, says that MI-5, the British equivalent of the F.B.I., and other western law-enforcement agencies fear the American arrests will serve to tip off Russian agents "who have lived among us in Europe for years and years—without much benefit to Mother Russia but some benefit to us since we know who they are."

Read it at The Daily Beast
beast

I say if they haven't done much harm just slap them on the wrist and send them home, Russian retaliation for this farce will be much worse than any harm these cone heads have done


Russian Spies Were Networking Pros
The couples accused of being part of a deep-undercover Russian spy ring may not have acquired much information, but they were pros at being American clichés. Donald Howard Heathfield was known as a gifted networker in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and with his wife, Tracey Lee Ann Foley, they made a model suburban couple. Heathfield, who stole his name from a dead 6-year-old, drew attention for his ceaseless schmoozing, handing out tons of business cards at Harvard. He headed a consulting firm; his wife was a real estate agent. Neighbors and friends describe the couple as dedicated parents who expressed banal suburban concerns, like yard work and expensive contractors. In Montclair, New Jersey, Richard and Cynthia Murphy shared chores and quizzed neighbors about the best middle schools. Signs that something was off were subtle, like when Cynthia Murphy was asked if her accent was Russian—she said no, she was from Belgium. Foley, when asked the same thing, claimed to be from Montreal.

Read it at The Boston Globe
Posted at 8:07 AM, Jun 30, 2010
Read it at The Boston Globe